Out and About: Chairman Bao Bun Truck

It pulled up 5 blocks behind my office, tweeted its presence, and I was magnetized toward it... assorted stuffed steamed bao: pork belly with pickled daikon, red sesame chicken with bok choy, duck confit with mango relish... for $9... I think I need to chain myself to this truck...

Recipe: Easy Sukiyaki

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. boneless beef rib eye steak, sliced very thin

1 large sweet onion

3 tbsp. minced garlic

2 cups of crimini mushrooms, chopped

2 large carrots, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds

2 cups of Napa cabbage OR baby bok choy, pulled apart and washed

1 1/2 cups of soy sauce

2 cups of beef broth

1 cup of sake

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of rice vinegar

3 tbsp. of vegetable oil

Directions:

Whisk the soy sauce, beef broth, sake, sugar, and rice vinegar together into a large bowl and set aside.

In a large cast iron pan or cast iron dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and carrots and saute until fragrant. Add the sliced beef and cook until the beef browns, stirring/mixing frequently. Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften. Pour all of the reserved sauce mixture in over the meat and vegetables. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally . Add the Napa cabbage (or bok choy), recover, and continue cooking for 10 - 15 minutes until beef is very tender and the cabbage is wilted. Remove all meat and vegetables to a separate serving bowl with a slotted spoon draining off the sauce. Then, pour about 1/3 to 1/2 of the sauce from the pan over the meat and vegetables in the serving bowl and serve. Best served over short-grain white rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Spicy Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

1 lb. of okra, stems cut off

2 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

2 cups of shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions, cut into 1 inch chunks

4 medium tomatoes, chunked into 1 inch cubes

10 garlic cloves, cut into 1/8 inch slivers

1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

6 tbsp. of Thai red curry paste (4 - 5 tbsp. if heat is a problem for you :))

3 tbsp. of fish sauce (to make this truly vegetarian, substitute 2 1/2 tbsp. of rice vinegar mixed with 1/2 tbsp. of sea salt for the fish sauce)

2 tbsp. minced lemongrass

1 tbsp. minced ginger

1 1/2 cups of coconut milk

1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

In a large wok or stir-fry pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, scallions, ginger, and lemongrass and saute until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, okra, and carrots and saute until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, vegetable broth, fish sauce, and curry paste. Stir to combine all ingredients. Turn the heat to high and heat until the mixture is boiling vigorously. Then reduce heat to a steady simmer, cover, and cook for 40 - 45 minutes. Remove the lid and check the consistency of the curry. It should be of medium thickness, akin to a gravy. If the curry is really thin, whisk 1 tbsp. of corn starch with 2 tsp. of warm water and add to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh cilantro as a final step. Serve immediately over jasmine rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Grilled Pork with Maple Habanero Glaze and Sauteed Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

For the Pork

2 1/2 lbs. of bone-in pork chops (4 large chops)

2 cups of apple cider vinegar

1 cup of soy sauce

1 cup of bourbon

3 habanero peppers, finely minced

1 cup of maple syrup

For the Chard

2 large bunches of green or rainbow chard, de-stemmed with leaves roughly torn into pieces

4 slices of uncured, thick sliced applewood smoked bacon, diced

1/2 of a large sweet onion, diced (approx. 1 1/2 cups)

3 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. black pepper

3 tbsp. of unsalted butter

Directions:

Mix the vinegar, soy sauce, and bourbon together with a wisk to make the brine. Reserve 2/3 cup of the brine. Place the chops into a large plastic bag or bowl, pour the brine over, and cover. Place in the refrigerator to brine at least 24 hours.

In a small saucepan, heat the maple syrup, habanero peppers, and 2/3 cup of the brining liquid over medium heat until it bubbles vigorously. Remove from heat and place into a heatproof glass container, seal, and place in the refrigerator for 4 - 6 hours to chill until it thickens.

Brush your grill grate with olive oil and heat the grill to medium-high heat. Before placing the pork on the grill, coat all over with the maple/habanero glaze. Cook for 4 minutes, turn over, then cover with more of the glaze. Continue cooking for 4 minutes on each side, glazing after each turn, for a total of about 18 - 20 minutes for medium-well. The glaze will produce a nice blackening on the pork as the sugar caramelizes. Place in 180 degree oven covered in foil to keep warm.

In a large pan, melt the butter. Add the bacon and saute the bacon until it starts to crisp. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion becomes partially translucent. Add the swiss chard and black pepper, in bunches if necessary, covering the pan to wilt the chard. Cook, covered, checking and stirring every minute or two until all the chard is fully wilted.

Serve the chard on top of or alongside the pork.

Serves 4 very hungry people.

Recipe: Spicy Beef Stroganoff

This ended up a total winner... so very tasty... and comforting :)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean beef tenderloin, cut into small cubes

2 tbsp. peanut oil

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 1/2 tbsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

3 habanero peppers

3 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 large sweet onion (Vidalia or equivalent)

4 cups crimini mushrooms

1 cup beef broth

1/3 cup bourbon

2 cups of sour cream

1 1/2 lb. egg noodles

Directions:

Heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat in a large pan. Add the beef and sear lightly on all sides. Remove beef from the oil and set aside. Add the butter to the pan and melt. Finely chop the onion, mushrooms, and habanero peppers. Add the onion and garlic to the pan, cover, sweating them for about 5 - 6 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the mushrooms, habaneros, salt, Dijon mustard, beef broth, and bourbon and stir to combine. Turn heat to high and bring to boil, boiling on high for about 2 - 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add the beef back to the pan (including any juices), cover, and simmer for about 45 - 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Remove cover from beef mixture and turn heat to high until the pan returns to a boil, boiling vigorously for about 10 minutes to reduce the mixture to a very thick consistency (mix 1 tbsp. of corn starch with warm water and stir in to thicken more quickly if not the right consistency within 10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream as a final step. Serve over the egg noodles.

Makes 6 - 8 servings.

Recipe: Zucchini and Eggplant Casserole

I know it has been quite a while since I have posted one of my great recipes up here... life just has this persistent tact of getting all in the way of blogging. But, hey, at least y'all know I haven't completely disappeared! I made this recipe last night. My roommate and friend both really liked it. Hope y'all enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, cut into 1 inch chunks

4 large zucchini, cut into 1 inch chunks

3 cups of wild mushrooms (oyster, trumpet, shitake, etc.)

1 large sweet onion

6 slices of thick slab bacon, diced

1/2 stick of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of heavy cream

3 large eggs

1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup of shredded Asiago cheese

2 tbsp. of Herbs de Provence

1 tbsp. of sea salt

2 tbsp. of garlic powder

1 1/2 tbsp. of white pepper

1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs

Cooking spray

Extra sea salt (to sweat eggplant)

Directions:

Place cut eggplant into a large colander. Coat generously with sea salt. Cover colander with a plate and press down to apply some pressure. Let sit in the sink for at least 4 hours to allow the eggplant to sweat out most of the bitter juices.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a large 9" x 13" casserole dish with cooking spray. In a large, deep skillet, turn the heat to medium high and melt the butter. Once butter is melted, add the diced bacon. Cook until bacon is slightly crisped. Loosely chop the mushrooms and onion and place into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add to the skillet with the butter and bacon and stir with a wooden spoon to evenly distribute. Add the sweated eggplant, zucchini, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, and Herbs de Provence. Stir to combine well. Cover the skillet and cook for 25 - 30 minutes until the zucchini and eggplant are very tender and can be mashed apart with the wooden spoon, stirring every few minutes. Once the mixture is tender and mushy, turn off the heat and add the cheeses and stir in to combine evenly. Transfer the entire mixture to the greased casserole dish.

In a small bowl, whip the eggs into the heavy cream. Pour the egg mixture over the casserole and stir in to distribute the egg mixture evenly throughout the casserole. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top of the casserole. Place in the preheated oven and bake first for 20 minutes. Take out from the oven and generously spray the bread crumbs on top with a layer of cooking spray (this will help brown the top). Place back in the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 as a main course or 12 - 14 as a side dish.

Recipe: Nawlins Cali Po' Boy

This recipe is inspired by my recent trip back to New Orleans, one of my favorite cities. I am a big fan of po' boy sandwiches, especially the ones with fried seafood. However, I honestly cannot resist putting a Cali twist on a Nawlins classic...

Ingredients:

Crab salad:

1 tbsp. crushed garlic

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 cups of fresh lump dungeness crab meat

Sandwich:

1 two foot long sourdough French baguette (if you find somewhere that makes New Orleans style French baguettes, feel free to get one of those!)

2 lbs. of peeled, deveined, and de-tailed small shrimp (if you can get Gulf Coast "popcorn" shrimp, they are the best)

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of corn meal

2 tbsp. of sea salt

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. black pepper

2 eggs, beaten

3 cups of canola oil (for frying)

1/4 cup of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3 tbsp. of finely chopped chives

2 large heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 1/2 cups of fresh arugula

Directions:

Crab salad:

Combine everything but the crab meat into a small bowl. Using a whisk, whip all of the ingredients together until a creamy emulsion forms - an aioli. In a larger bowl, place the lump crab meat and use your fingers to well separate the strands and parts. Add the aioli to the bowl and mix together thoroughly using a wooden spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator.

Sandwich:

Combine the flour, corn meal, and all of the dry spices well together in a large bowl. Heat the canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place the shrimp into the flour and spice mixture first to coat, then into the egg wash, then back into the flour and spice mixture before placing into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 5 - 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels or a large paper sack.

Add the chopped chives to the room temperature butter. Using a fork, mix the chives into the butter thoroughly. Slice the baguette in half lengthwise. Spread the chive butter all over the bottom half. Spread the arugula out evenly on top of the butter. Place the tomatoes evenly atop the arugula. Spread the fried shrimp out evenly on top of the tomatoes. Top the shrimp evenly with the crab salad. Place the top of baguette back on and push down to tighten the sandwich. Cut width-wise into 8 equal portions. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.